Apanteles distributa Liu & Chen, 2020

Liu, Zhen, He, Jun-Hua, Chen, Xue-Xin & Gupta, Ankita, 2020, The ater-group of the genus Apanteles Foerster (Hymenoptera, Braconidae, Microgastrinae) from China with the descriptions of forty-eight new species, Zootaxa 4807 (1), pp. 1-205 : 76-78

Apanteles distributa Liu & Chen , sp. nov.

( Figures 34 , 100 )

Description. Holotype. Female. Body length 2.1 mm, fore wing length 2.7 mm.

Head. Transverse in dorsal view, nearly 2.1× as wide as long, 0.9× as wide as mesoscutum. Vertex between eye and posterior ocellus slightly shiny with shallow punctures. Temple dull with indefinite punctures, weakly constrict- ed. Face 0.8× as high as wide, not shiny, rough with indefinite, minute punctures, inner margin of eyes subparallelsided, sparsely pubescent. Ocelli small, posterior tangent to anterior ocellus just touching posterior ocelli, distance between fore and hind ocellus slightly longer than diameter of hind ocellus, POL:OD:OOL=4.5:1.8:3.5. Antenna about as long as body length, weakly closely articulated, penultimate flagellomere 1.4× longer than wide.

Mesosoma. Length:width:height = 39.0:27.5:29.0. Disc of mesonotum slightly shiny with coarse, relatively shallow punctures, interspaces smaller than diameter of puncture, punctures confluent along notaulic courses and striate at end of notaulic courses. Scutellar sulcus straight, relatively narrow with carinae inside. Scutellum slightly shiny with shallow punctures entirely, and median length indistinctly longer than basal width. Lateral polished field of scutellum reaching hardly half length of scutellum. Propodeum short, dull with rugose-punctate anterio-laterally, areolation poorly defined, costulae absent, spiracle enclosed by posterior keels, with irregular carinae posterio-laterally and inside areolation. Mesopleuron not shiny, anterior part relatively rough with indefinite punctures, whose hind margin finely, weakly striate.

Legs. Hind femur 3.1× longer than wide. Hind coxa not shiny, punctate-rugose above (basally). Spines on outer side of third tibia stout, not dense. Inner spurs of hind tibia 2/5 length of hind basitarsus, outer spur 0.3. Basitarsus of hind leg slightly shorter than tarsomeres 2–4 combined (12.5:14.0), claws of normal size.

Wings. Pterostigma 3.2× as long as its widest part. Vein 1-R1 1.3× longer than pterostigma, 4.2× as long as its distance from apex of marginal cell. Vein r arising from middle of pterostigma, perpendicular to the latter, 1.3× longer than width of pterostigma, r 1.3× longer than 2-SR, indistinctly angled at junction, 2-M 1/3 length of 2-SR, the latter as long as 2-SR+M and cu-a, 1-SR distinctly shorter than 2-SR. First discal cell of fore wing slightly (1.1×) wider than high. Second submarginal cell of hind wing 1.6× wider than high. Vein cu-a slightly curved at apex. Hind wing broad, length of 1-M much shorter than distance between its distal extremity and apex of vannal lobe, and vannal lobe beyond its widest part concave and without setae.

Metasoma. Nearly 0.9× as long as mesosoma (34.0:39.0). T1 slightly constricted from middle towards apex, short, 1.4× longer than hind width, concave at basal half, turned-over part not shiny, strongly rugose entirely, longitudinal trough absent, and apical tubercle indistinct, slightly shiny and smooth. T2 slightly shiny and smooth, except for some superficial punctures, rather transverse, 4.3× wider than long in the middle, slightly curved apically. T3 2.0× longer than T2. Tergites posterior to T2 shiny, smooth, and pubescent. Hypopygium not longer than apex of metasoma. Ovipositor sheath slightly shorter than length of hind basitarsus, narrow.

Colour. Black. Tegula dark brown. Palpi and spurs pale yellowish. Antenna and ovipositor sheath dark brown. Labrum and mandible dark reddish brown. Legs brown, except most part of fore femur, fore tibia with tarsus, apex of middle femur, middle tibia with tarsus, basal 2/3 of hind tibia and most part of hind tarsus yellow. Wing membrane hyaline, C+SC+R, 1-R1, border of pterostigma yellowish brown, r, 2-SR and 2-M pale brown, the rest veins pale and pterostigma pallid.

Variation. Body length 2.0– 2.5 mm, fore wing length 2.4–2.7 mm. Apical third of hind tibia blackish brown.

Male. Body length 1.9–2.4 mm, fore wing length 2.4–2.5 mm. Similar to female, except penultimate flagellomere much longer, 2.7× longer, colouration of wing veins paler and legs darker, vein r slightly shorter to as long as 2-SR, and apical half of hind tibia blackish brown.

Host. According to the label, Nola distributa Walker ( Lepidoptera : Nolidae ).

Material examined. Holotype: 1♀, Taian, Shandong, 1990.VIII.20, Hu Yiping, No. 911086, ex Nola distributa Walker . Paratypes: 2♀♀ 6♂♂, ditto , No. 911086, ex ditto .

Distribution. China (Shandong).

Etymology. The specific name “ distributa ” derives from its host Nola distributa Walker.

Remarks. This species is similar to A. folia Nixon , but differs in the following: propodeum poorly areolated (strongly areolated in latter); face with indefinite, minute punctures (coarsely punctate in latter); and metacarp 4.2× as long as its distance from apex of marginal cell (much shorter, at most 3.0× in latter).

Figures

FIGURE 34. Apanteles distributa Liu & Chen, sp. nov. Holotype. a. habitus, lateral view; b. fore wing; c. propodeum; d. hind wing; e. head, dorsal view; f. mesonotum and scutellum, dorsal view; g. metasoma, dorsal view; h. ovipositor sheath; i. mesopleuron. Scale line = 0.5 mm.

FIGURE 100. 33–47: Distribution map of ater-group of the genus Apanteles Foerster, 1862. 33: A. dissimile Nixon, 1965; 34: A. distributa Liu & Chen, sp. nov.; 35: A. dryas Nixon, 1965; 36: A. expansus Liu & Chen, sp. nov.; 37: A. flavibasalis Liu & Chen, sp. nov.; 38: A. florus Nixon, 1965; 39: A. folia Nixon, 1965; 40: A. fraxinus Liu & Chen, sp. nov.; 41: A. fundum Liu & Chen, sp. nov.; 42: A. fuscidentalis Liu & Chen, sp. nov.; 43: A. galleriae Wilkinson, 1932; 44: A. gracilicorne Song & Chen, 2004; 45: A. Apanteles importunus Wilkinson, 1928; 46: A. jasmine Liu & Chen, sp. nov.; 47: A. javensis Rohwer, 1919.